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Dhoni & Co will need to adapt to new laws quickly

The venue for India's second match of the Champions Trophy - against the West Indies - is the historic Oval in South London. The stadium here has seen many changes to its name — from being called the Kennington Oval and the Brit Oval in the past to now being rechristened the Kia Oval because of the new sponsor after the Brit Insurance deal wasn't renewed. But what hasn't changed at all about this ground is that it still happens to be one of the biggest in terms of boundary dimensions across the United Kingdom.

When MS Dhoni said back in India, before leaving for the tournament, that the new one-day rules and how his team adapts to them in overseas conditions will be important, he might as well have meant the Oval more than anything else. With the boundary rope stretching to almost 70m straight of the wicket, the Oval has easily the largest playing area among all grounds here.

In the context of ICC's new Powerplay rules, which require only four players to be outside the 30-yard circle instead of five, the effort put in to cover the outfield has to be that much more. In such a scenario, only two kinds of players would be most efficient to exploit those Powerplay quota of 20 overs: those who have the ability to clear the boundary through sheer power and the young fielders who are ready to throw themselves at almost anything that moves.

In that context, India and the West Indies have a battle on the cards here. Thanks to Twenty20, where power-hitting has been redefined by the likes of Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard, India will have to be very careful where they bowl to them. These players hardly depend on ground shots to get their runs and twenty overs of Powerplay — if they stay that long — would be more than enough for them to create havoc.

Similarly, in India's case, having the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja — some of the best fielders — outside the 30-yard circle during these 20 overs would be a useful strategy.

The potential for more trouble doesn't just end here. Dhoni will also keep in mind the new ODI rule of two new balls that can be taken in an innings and bowlers being allowed two bouncers per over. With the likes of Tino Best, Kemar Roach, Dwayne Bravo and either Jason Holder or Darren Sammy being part of the attack, facing the short stuff will prove tough for batsmen like Raina and Jadeja in the middle-order.

Further, India have to keep in mind that two new balls can be taken from both ends. That will mean Best and Roach — two of the fastest in business — finding the leisure to shine their own cherry and hurl at the opposition.

Because of the kind of talent this West Indian team carries, the new rules look loaded in their favour. The rules give individuals the space to make more singular contributions to the game, with the bat and the ball, and that, in turn, gives potentially dangerous teams — even if inconsistent in stretches — the chance to throw up surprises on any given day.

Dhoni will certainly have to dig deep into his resources to avoid any kind of surprises here on June 11.